


Data

by superwonderful



Category: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
Genre: Gen, M/M, post villains night out/in and action news
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 05:59:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13827978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superwonderful/pseuds/superwonderful
Summary: Boxman and Venomous try something out. This is a light sequel to Assurance, my previous Voxman fic. It's kind of a totally non-canon what-if regarding how the villains are working with the baby at the end of "Action News."





	Data

“It’s simple, really.”

The professor lifted the small electrode pad. He pressed it onto his temple. His eyelids fluttered and Boxman’s hands instinctively moved forward. The professor waved him off.

“I’m fine,” he said. “It’s the connection you’re making which causes the reaction. Now, observe.”

Venomous pointed to the screen and Boxman followed his lead. The computer held two columns. One of the two was labeled as “Venomous,” the other as “Boxman.” The professor closed his eyes.

“I’m thinking of something I’d like to transmit to the child. Experiences, abilities. Things I believe will give them a better chance of success.” As he said this, the professor rubbed his stubbled, violet chin. A phrase appeared onto the computer screen within his column; ‘Destruction is a form of creation.’

“Oh my,” Boxman said. It was stunning. The science was incredible, he thought.

“Yes.” Venomous smiled. He removed the electrode from his temple. His voice turned to molasses; ominous and irresistible to Boxman. “We’re not making a robot. We’re creating a living organism who shares our desires. They will be made up of us, our plans.”

“I see.” Boxman couldn’t quell his nervousness, but he was convinced to the machines abilities.

“Now,” the professor said, kneeling. “It’s your turn. Just think of something simple; I’d only like to demonstrate at this point.”

Venomous moved to place the electrode on the metallic part of Boxman’s head, but seemed to think better of it. He hesitated, then pushed a lock of Boxman’s teal hair behind his iron ear lobe. Boxman’s hands shook. The professor pressed the electrode to his temple. Boxman blinked away the strange, fuzzy shock which sprinted through the front of his skull. However, it returned as quick as it left. In fact, it was becoming worse.  
  
Was this right?

“There we are.” Venomous rose. He crossed his arms across his breast. “Now: something simple, remember.”

“R-right.” Boxman tried to remain calm. The pain was growing in his forehead. He did not want to mention it. He trusted Venomous. “Well then. Something simple, something simple.”

The professor turned his attention to the screen, to see Boxman’s progress. After a few moments, the words ‘heroes are disgusting, do-good cretins’ appeared within his column. Venomous nodded. It was a basic food group of the villain’s mind. They would’ve had to add it sooner or later.

Then, another phrase blinked forth.  
  
‘Fear of the past.’  
  
Another.  
  
‘The explosion that took my eye.’  
  
More.  
  
‘Rejection.’  
  
‘Humiliation.’  
  
‘Jethro, will you stop that?’  
  
‘Why?’  
  
‘Pain.’  
  
‘You're tired.’  
  
‘Where is this coming from?’  
  
‘Fear of the future.’  
  
‘Mr. LogicShannonBlasted freaksThose plaza freaksDarrelEnd those plaza bratsErnesto’s hatI’m fine.'  
  
'There are seven-hundred different things I want to say to you which I will never say and I don’t know how to say them regardless of whether or not I was to say them which I won’t and so on and so forth and-'  
  
Boxman gave a strangled cry. The professor turned, his pupils confused pinpoints. The other man’s hand and claw were clenched against his own skull. The screen of his left eye ran with what looked like walls of fluctuating data. Fumes were beginning to seep out of the lines of metal holding his head together. He was trying to pull the electrode from his temple. It was melting against his flesh. Venomous crouched and locked his fist around the electrode. He yanked, but it would not come loose, only pulling the other's green skin. Boxman threw himself into the professor, clinging to him. A tear ran from his human eye.

“What's happening to me?” he said. His voice was like a damaged radio.

Venomous was still with fear, incomprehension. His eyes darted to the screen. The column which contained Boxman’s transcribed thoughts was a strobe light of information; millions of letters and words and punctuation marks flew up the screen. It was painful to watch. The white letters screamed out from the screen, as if Boxman were speaking.

“Venomous, please!” Boxman fell to his knees and the professor went down with him. The cyborg man held his head as if it were going to explode, and it looked like it might. “Help me!”

Venomous released the other villain. He turned off the computer. Boxman continued to writhe. He had collapsed to his side. His chicken claw was dug into the floor of the lab. He gasped and yelled and the professor scrambled to the side of the machine. He removed the panel over the master control. He gripped the lever and pulled it down. The entire lab went black.

-

Boxman blew on the cup of water Venomous had handed him. Then, he realized to blow on a cup of water was a strange thing to do. It was too late, however.

“How do you feel?” the professor said.

“Fine. A little woozy, is all.”

Boxman took a swallow of the water. His head ached, beneath the bandage at his temple. He and the professor sat at the kitchen table. It was silent, but Boxman could hear a fizzing in his cranium. Somehow, he could hear Venomous’ discomfort.

“That wasn’t supposed to happen,” the professor eventually said.

“I figured,” Boxman said, with a chuckle.

“I’m,” Venomous said. He looked apologetic, but the words wouldn’t form. “I’m afraid that method of controlling the kid won’t work.”

“That’s right.” Boxman set the cup down. “Right, exactly, we’ll have to think of something else. It was a good idea.”

“Yes.”

The two men were quiet. Then:

“I’m sorry,” Boxman said. “I should have thought about how my brain might work with the machine.” He rapped his knuckles against the metal side of his head. There were dark stains around his eye screen. “It’s a bit more like a computer than a brain. I think your machine thought of everything inside of it as a file download, if that makes sense. It all came flying out at once. Boxman.exe.”

“Right.” The professor scratched his neck.

Boxman laughed. It was a nervous sound. He tapped his fingers on the table.

“You actually think those things, don’t you?” Venomous said.

“What things?”

“You’re afraid of rejection. The future.” Venomous couldn’t help himself. “Ernesto’s hat.”

Boxman’s claw clenched around the cup of water. “Well-”

“I guess you don’t have to tell me.”

“Well, I don’t mind you knowing. We’re partners and all that.”

“Hm.”

“I mean, you know those things don’t actually matter to me. I’m a powerful, intelligent, competent villain extraordinaire! I don’t have time for any of that shlock.”

“Hm.”

“I think I remember at one point I was thinking about being unable to talk to you about things.”

“Yes, that came up.”

“Well, that’s preposterous, PV,” Boxman said. He seemed to be returning to his obnoxious nature. “You know! We’re like peanut butter and jelly. I don’t have to worry about any of that.”

“Hm, right.”

“Exactly.”

“As long as you know that,” the professor said.

“Of course.”

“I’m sorry you got hurt.”

Boxman ran a hand through his oily hair.

“I’m completely fine,” he said, with a sudden playful gesture. “Now, let’s get back to the lab. I feel as fresh and lively as a daisy in the spring! Nothing to worry about.”

Venomous did not look like he believed him in the slightest.

“We kissed,” the professor said.

Boxman paused, mid-rise from his chair.

“That means something, right?” Venomous was not standing. He looked cautiously at Boxman. “We should act differently. I should care about you differently. And you should be able to tell me things that you couldn’t before. Right?”

Boxman had never seen the professor so unsure.

“That’s how that works?” Venomous said. Then, he was quiet. “If not because we kissed, because we’re partners.”

“Of course, well, we should get back,” Boxman said. His face was hot. The feeling was not altogether pleasant or unpleasant. It was a mixture of things.

“Sure.”

Venomous stood. He and Boxman walked down the hall, slowly fading back into the darkness of the lab. They’d have to stumble for a bit, to turn back on the light.


End file.
